Andross
Andross (アンドルフ, Andorufu, Andorf) is considered the main antagonist in the Star Fox series, and is the arch-nemesis of Fox McCloud. He is an Evil Mad Scientist who is highly skilled in technology, psychokinesis/telekinesis, and tactics. His forces have tried to take over the Lylat system many times. Exiled to the distant penal planet of Venom for his destructive and dangerous experiments with bio-technology, the mad scientist Andross has recently resurfaced as the supreme commander of a seemingly unstoppable military force. Striking without warning, his invasion fleets have overrun the minimal defenses outposts of the many planets in the Lylat system, and are even now attacking the most populous world in the system, Corneria. As a scientist on Corneria, Andross specialized in bio-technology and space warps. It is theorized that exposure to his own deadly experiments may have driven him mad. In the time since his exile, who knows how his continued experimental work may have affected him? History Early Life Andross was once a brilliant Cornerian scientist with pure intentions. His research proved to be beneficial towards both Corneria and the Lylat System at large, earning him the title of a genius to be honored and respected. In time, however, Andross gained a wide lust for power, bringing him to the point of insanity. Dangerous experimentation left General Pepper of the Cornerian Army suspicious, often questioning the ethics of them. It was not long until both Andross and General Pepper came into a serious confrontation over the issue. Andross was given no other choice than to terminate his research, but blatantly ignored the general's demands. Eventually, his experimentation caused a massive explosion that tragically destroyed a large portion of Corneria City. Infuriated, General Pepper banished Andross to the desolate planet Venom, in fear that he could potentially destroy Corneria if left to do his bidding. It was expected that Andross would not survive there. When he was sent there, however, he survived. Lylat Wars In exile, Andross made the discovery that Venom hosted life-forms of humanoid lizards and monkeys. As the years progressed, he began to build an army and conduct various life-threatening experiments on himself. He became a twisted shell of his former being and was driven by madness. His thoughts and intentions shifted from protecting the Lylat System to destroying it and ruling a new galaxy under his name. With this new power founded by the forces of Venom, Andross created an empire. Five years had passed, and General Pepper noticed strange activity coming from Venom. Under direct order from the Cornerian Army, a band of mercenaries known as the Star Fox team were sent to investigate. The team consisted of three members: James McCloud, the founder and leader, Peppy Hare, his best friend, and Pigma Dengar, his other best friend. Upon their arrival however, Pigma betrayed the team, leaving James and Peppy to be captured by Andross. James was killed, and Peppy barely managed to escape. Returning home, he informed General Pepper of what happened and told James’ son, Fox, about his father’s fate. A few years after the incident on Venom, Andross declared war on the Lylat system, proclaiming himself emperor to all. The Venomian Army was unleashed onto Venom's neighboring planets, destroying everything in their path. Any form of rebellion was crushed, causing the Lylat system to be on the brink of becoming a wasteland of near extinction. Corneria, Andross’s homeworld, was the final defense left against the menacing threat which had overcome the galaxy. The Cornerian Army stood no chance against the forces of Andross, leaving General Pepper to desperately call upon a new Star Fox team for help. This new team was led by James’ son Fox, composing of Peppy Hare, Slippy Toad, and Falco Lombardi. Having been trained to become experts at flying the swift Arwing, they immediately came to Corneria’s aid without hesitation. The young but keen Fox guaranteed Andross would be stopped and Pigma would be brought to justice, leaving to assist in fending off the Venomian Army’s invasion. After achieving what seemed impossible, the Star Fox team became the Cornerian Millitary's leaders in defeating the forces of Andross. The planets of the Lylat system were saved thanks to their efforts, and even the rival bounty hunters of Star Wolf were disposed of. Venom’s homeworld forces were also defeated, until the dictator himself awaited his demise. It seemed that Andross had been one step ahead of the Star Fox team since their invasion upon Area 6, Venom’s air defenses, understanding that they posed a very large threat to his survival. This however, didn’t stop Fox from destroying the evil scientist's Ultimate Space Weapon Gorgon, or the Mysterious Giant Golem Golemech. Neither did the Ultra Performance All-Range Fighters Wolfen II, piloted by Star Wolf prevent Star Fox from reaching the Emperor's underground tunnels. Andross, as Fox drew nearer to his main base also accessed Fox’s communication channels to taunt Fox. He taunted Fox by telling him he would die just like his father and that he was foolish for coming to face Andross alone. Soon, Fox reached Andross. Staring into the eyes of his father’s killer, Fox was repulsed by what Andross had become. The countless lethal experiments took a toll on Andross's appearance, as he was nothing more than an immense disembodied head with mechanical hands at either side. Fox then encountered Andross and a furious battle ensued. Eventually, Fox destroyed the outer layering of Andross’s head, and soon the Ape revealed himself in his true form: an enormous brain with two bulging eyes that were connected to the brain by energy strands. Even though being an evil mastermind, he made a pun, stating he was the only one with the "brains" to rule the Lylat System. Fox couldn’t attack the brain directly because of it being equipped with shooting eye balls and a Dimension Transporter and that would allow it to evade Fox’s attacks head on. The grueling battle continued, and both suffered large amounts of damage, but Fox gave it his all and managed to defeat Andross by destroying the cerebellum. As he burst into flames, Andross declared that if he was going to die, then he was going to take Fox with him, and with the last of his power, let loose a devastating self-destruction, hoping to claim Fox’s life in doing so. He would have succeeded had it not been for James McCloud’s spirit, who helped Fox escape by leading him back to the planet’s surface. Meeting with General Pepper, Fox informed everyone that the great leader of Venom had finally been defeated and that the Lylat system had been saved. Titania Incident Four years passed since the presumed death of Andross. After the Lylat Wars, the galaxy seemed to be at peace. A Cornerian base was established on Titania for research on its ruins, but was unfortunately a front for the leader of the base, Captain Shears, to resurrect the great Andross by cloning genetic remnants of him found on the planet. Sometime during the past four years, a space gang known as the Hot-Rodders, led by Katt Monroe, had hacked into the main database of Captain Shears’s files and discovered research documents on resurrecting Andross, although they initially believed that they were plans for a bioweapon. She managed to contact Falco, a former member of the gang, for assistance in dealing with what she found. Falco left without his team’s permission while they were debriefed on the situation. Captain Shears misled the Star Fox team into believing the Hot-Rodders were actually servants of Andross, resulting in a dogfight between Fox and Falco. It was not until after Slippy explored the base and realized the truth, as well as the Hot-Rodders hailing Fox on the communications channel and explaining what happened and reviewing the files they hacked, that the fighting ended, although Slippy ended up captured in the process. Fox entered Captain Shears’ base on Titania in an attempt to stop him, but it was too late. The once powerful dictator Andross had awakened, despite Slippy’s efforts in stopping Andross’s revival. Captain Shears was killed by the resurrected Andross, who thereafter immediately attacked Fox. Fox blinded Andross by throwing Shears's rapier at one of his eyes, escaping a close encounter and enraging Andross even more. Luckily, the Star Fox team managed to destroy the base and left Andross beneath its ruins by using a Landmaster. Saurian Crisis After his apparent defeat at the hands of Fox, Andross, severely weakened and reduced to a disembodied spirit, fled the Lylat system and took refuge on Dinosaur Planet, where he learned of the Krazoa. Andross found and gave General Scales, who was invading the Krazoa Palace at the time, more power to defeat the EarthWalker army and conquer Dinosaur Planet. After some time, Krystal arrived on the planet and discovered the Krazoa. She completed one of six spiritual tests, releasing a Krazoa Spirit into the palace. When she did this, Andross, who had been observing her the entire time, attacked, trapping her within a crystal which ascended to the roof of the palace. After this incident, he disappeared into the shadows and awaited the moment when all six spirits would eventually be released. A distress signal had been sent out by an injured EarthWalker soldier near the first Krazoa Shrine, and it was General Pepper who received it. The Star Fox team, who had been orbiting the planet at the time, was ordered by General Pepper to investigate. Falco had left Star Fox years earlier, and the team was in desperate need of funds to make repairs on the Great Fox. They saw this as a great opportunity to do so. Arriving on the planet, the lone hero Fox discovered Krystal's Staff and battled his way through the dangers of the Dinosaur Planet, fighting against the vicious tribe known as the SharpClaw. He learned after much research that sections of the planet were split apart, which had been causing the destruction of Dinosaur Planet. The team also learned of the Krazoa Spirits, and were ordered to collect all six to reassemble the missing sections of the planet. It was later discovered that General Scales was a mere puppet of Andross. After the final confrontation between him and Fox, the voice of Andross demanded General Scales give up the last of the Krazoa Spirits, which he held inside himself all along. Fox recognized the voice, but could not remember who exactly it was. Having the last Spirit released, Andross arose in the form of a mighty Krazoa statue looking over the vast palace, claiming to be a god. Krystal was released from her prison and saved by Fox, who watched as she took back her Staff and quickly tried to destroy the floating statue. Her attacks did nothing as it floated to the skies, where it was followed by Fox in his Arwing. Arriving in space, a confused Fox gazed upon the great Krazoa statue which stared back at him. It suddenly spun around, revealing the creature it had been hiding. Andross, who was thought to have been killed eight years ago, laughed and remarked at how he was going to destroy the Lylat system. Fox, horror-struck, knew Andross had to be destroyed once and for all. A clash between good and evil ensued, as both viciously attacked one another. The fighting could be heard by the inhabitants of Dinosaur Planet itself, where they prayed for their savior’s life. Andross had come too far to be defeated again, and soon gained the upper hand by nearly destroying Fox’s Arwing. Only a miracle could save him from being crushed by Andross’s jaws. Falco appeared from nowhere and saved Fox from being killed, encouraging him to keep fighting. Andross did not think anything of this act, ignoring Falco and concentrating on killing Fox. This was his downfall, as Falco provided bombs for Fox to use. One by one they were released into Andross’s mouth, revealing the large brain he shelled underneath. Rapid shots were fired and immediately the effects of both Fox and Falco’s team work was shown. Andross, screaming in defeat, burst into a blast of energy, killing him and almost claiming Fox and Falco’s Arwings. The evil ex-emperor had finally been defeated for good. Fox prevented the Lylat system from war once again, thanks to the help of an old friend. Death While it is believed that Andross was killed for the final time in Star Fox Adventures, one storyline hints that he reappeared at least one time after the incident. In the level “Andross’s Legacy” in Star Fox Command, Peppy mentions that after being defeated by Star Fox for quite a few times, he began thinking that Andross could have developed a device to neutralize the Venom Sea, and after completing it, he hid it on Titania, spending his remaining days there. This contradicts the notion that Andross died for the final time in Star Fox Adventures. However, this may be non-canon because of the nature of Star Fox Command and Andross' final death is officially in Star Fox Adventures. However, in the Titania level in Star Fox Command, his ghost appears in some of the transitions before and during the player battles against his bioweapon. Some believe, however, that Andross may still appear in another Star Fox game, due to Nintendo's running theme of bringing back a defeated antagonist to "start over everything again". Examples of this include Bowser (from the Super Mario Bros. series), Ganon(dorf) (from the Legend of Zelda series), and Ridley (from the Metroid series). Some believe, however, that Andross may still appear in another Star Fox game, due to Nintendo's running theme of bringing back a defeated antagonist to "start over everything again". Examples of this include Bowser (from the Super Mario Bros. series), Ganon(dorf) (from the Legend of Zelda series), and Ridley (from the Metroid series). Bloodline Although he was thought to be gone he was certainly not forgotten. Andross’s descendants, nephew Andrew Oikonny and grandson Dash Bowman, both attempted to carry out his desires. Dash tried to revive the memory of his grandfather’s original intentions of helping the Lylat system, whereas Andrew proclaimed himself the new emperor to continue Andross’s evil intent on ruling the Lylat system. As for Andross himself, no one knows. It can be argued that he is nothing more than a wandering spirit protecting his mechanism on Titania, which is capable of neutralizing the acid in the Venom Sea. It is unknown why he would create such an instrument, as it is also implied that he was responsible for the Anglar's creation. However, he most likely created it to try and destroy the very thing he created in a bid for power. In Star Fox Command, his ghost appears as a boss who takes the form of either a Killer Bee, Dune Worm, Grunner, or even Monarch Dodora. He also taunted anyone who attempted to gain the weapon. However, he will have difficulty controlling Monarch Dodora when fighting Dash Bowman, and also attempts to support Dash in getting the device, presumably because he hoped that Dash will continue his legacy. Gallery Category:Nintendo Characters Category:Star Fox Characters Category:Super Nintendo Entertainment System Debut Category:All Characters